They disagree on virtually everything and her personality is more reputation-centered. Beneatha seems to be more moralistic and principled than Walter Lee, but this does not make her more likeable of a character. She is much more pessimistic than Walter and is selfish in her own way. Her goal has nothing to do with her family. She wants to go to medical school to become a doctor and by extension, prove that women, particularly African-American women, can accomplish the same things that men can accomplish. In the reader’s first encounter with Beneatha and Walter Lee, they almost immediately get into an argument. Walter Lee wants to use his parents’ insurance money to invest in a liquor store and he believes Beneatha is getting in the way. He says to her, “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ’bout messing ’round with sick people—then go be a nurse like other women—or just get married and be quiet” (Hansberry, 38). This is an example of the social stereotype for women that she is trying to fight against, but whose goal is more …show more content…
Beneatha’s goal is social whereas Walter Lee’s is more family oriented, and at the core, we see that Beneatha simply desires respect and Walter Lee desires confidence. From a secular perspective, neither goal is necessarily morally. Therefore, we must turn to the Bbible. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Through this, we can see that the bible emphasizes the man’s role in the home, and how it is his duty to provide for his family. There are no Bbible verses that directly discuss a woman’s capability of having similar duties to a man’s. However, there are multiple bible verses that discuss women’s equality to men. For example, Deuteronomy 10:17 says, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.” Although there are differences in the the role of men and women, particularly in the home, God loves neither more than the other. In conclusion, Beneatha and Walter Lee Younger each display virtuous character and a noble goal, but we can see that Walter Lee’s is more biblically supported. By the end of the play, the reader likes both characters for different reasons. (I’m not really sure what else I need to include in my